Forget about side-by-side software and hardware comparison, Apple's iPad mini 3 is twice as likely to break into pieces should it slip out of your hand than Amazon's Kindle Fire HD.
That's the key message of Amazon's latest television commercial which paints its tablet “twice as durable” as the iPad mini 3.
The 30-second video, which shows the Kindle Fire HD being subjected to various durability tests, is meant to reinforce the notion that Amazon tablets are sturdier than Apple's.
Amazon today unveiled a slew of new tablets, all based around its third generation Kindle Fire: the Kindle Fire HDX. As before, there's a 7-inch model, an 8.9-inch model, and both of them come in Wi-Fi-only and 4G configurations.
The new slates are lighter, thanks to an internal redesign, and 3x faster, thanks to Snapdragon's quad-core 2.2 GHz processor. And they feature various other hardware and software improvements. Much more details after the fold...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtJBQHLdcM4
Amazon's advertising strategy took on an interesting twist indeed. Even though this commercial surprisingly praises both tablets, it paints the iPad as an overpriced choice versus the Kindle Fire HD, which starts at $199 for the seven-inch version.
Both tablets offer "stunning HD", the commercial proclaims. What Amazon "forgot" to tell viewers is that its 1080p screen is no match for the iPad's Retina display: the latter has a million more pixels (2,048-by-1,536) than the Kindle Fire HD (1,920-by-1,080). Nothing like the good ol' fine print, eh?
Amazon's Kindle Fire is the Rodney Dangerfield of tablets: it gets no respect. Again, Tuesday, the online retail giant reinforced that image by announcing Thanksgiving Weekend sales of the Kindle were "more than double" those in 2011 - but released no hard numbers.
Just how many Kindles - such as the $129 Kindle Fire Amazon pushed during Cyber Monday - were sold this year versus last year? Dunno. We have plenty of commercial spin, however. This year's Cyber Monday was the "biggest day ever" for global Kindle sales. The Kindle Fire HD "is the most gifted and most wished for" Amazon product worldwide, according to the company...
Despite the success Apple is seeing with its iPad mini, the company has received a lot of criticism over the new tablet. Folks are particularly unhappy with its $329 price tag, which is at least $100 more than the competition, and its lack of a Retina display.
The mini's 1024 x 768 is also worse than its competitors, and has been the number one complaint in early reviews. But is it really that much worse than those found on the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7? DisplayMate thinks it has the answer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Dxy-gOQUE
This above is a trailer for Air Patriots from the recently launched Amazon Game Studios, the online retailer's first foray into the mobile gaming space. The game is available on Kindle, iOS and Android devices via Google's Play Store, Amazon's own Appstore and Apple's App Store (aren't you getting tired of so many unimaginative monikers already?).
The iOS version is provided free of charge as a 83MB universal binary download with native support for all iOS form factors and Retina graphics. Though the Play Store page originally suggested that Air Patriots couldn't run on the Nexus 7 tablet, Google said it was a "minor hiccup" and has updated the entry...
In a classic marketing 101 move, online retailer Amazon last week highlighted the iPad mini's perceived flaws in a huge Kindle Fire HD ad on its web site. The move came after Amazon uncharacteristically compared the iPad mini to its tablet in an earnings release announcing its first loss in nine years. Advertising against the iPad mini, Amazon listed Apple's device as having a mono speaker versus dual stereo speakers on its tablet. Some people likely bought this as Apple's own web page makes no mention of stereo speakers and the Tech Specs page only confirms "built-in speaker".
Always quick to right the wrongs, Apple's head honcho of worldwide marketing allegedly confirmed in an email exchange with a fan that the smaller iPad does have built-in stereo speakers. We expect Amazon to update its homepage ad shortly...
With the release of the 7.9-inch iPad mini this week, Apple will essentially be entering Amazon's home turf. You could argue that Apple still dominates the overall tablet market. But with two years of Kindle Fire sales under its belt, Amazon owns the 7-8-inch tablet space.
And as you may have guessed, it's not prepared to concede any of that space to Apple without a fight. Over the weekend, people started noticing that Amazon had placed a comparison chart between the iPad mini and its Kindle Fire HD, front and center on its homepage...
The people with the smile on the box had no reason to smile when their company, the online retail giant Amazon, yesterday posted third-quarter results today, reporting its first loss in nine years. Even as revenue increased by 27 percent annually, Amazon lost $274 million during the third quarter on net sales of $13.8 billion, up from $10.9 billion a year earlier.
In the year-ago quarter, Amazon reported a net profit of $63 million. Total operating expenses increased from $10.8 billion to $13.8 billion. Amazon attributed the loss to its investment in online deal site LivingSocial.
It's also understandable that a low-margin, high-volume nature of Amazon's content and books businesses affects earnings. The company is also vulnerable to exchange rates, online shopping growth and fluctuations in consumer spending. And in announcing its first-ever loss, Amazon even took jabs at Apple's iPad in - wait for it - the official press release...
We can deride the quality and culture of Android tablets, but the once ginormous lead Apple's iPad had is shrinking amid the rise of tweener tablets.
In a bit of a two-edge sword, a new study finds 25 percent of Americans own a tablet, with Apple's device claiming just over half of the US tablet market. A year ago, more than 8 out of 10 tablets purchased bore the Apple logo...
Apple is asking the Department of Justice to turn over interviews it held with Amazon employees as part of the recently-approved ebook pricing settlement. According to the Cupertino, Calif. iBooks firm, Amazon "was the driving force behind the Government's investigation, and it told a story to the Government that has yet been scrutinized." The Justice Department is scheduled to haul Apple, along with Macmillan and Penguin into court next June.
Apple's iPad is once again ranked as the No. 1 tablet in the United States. However, the company's lead over Amazon's Kindle Fire is as razor-thin as its products. According to customer satisfaction researcher JD Power, Apple scored 848 points with Amazon close behind with 842 out of 1,000.
The Cupertino, Calif. firm can be thankful that US consumers found the iPad tops for performance and ease of use -- categories heavily weighed in the survey -- while Amazon hit it out of the ballpark in price, an area carrying just 16 percent of the final score...